Barcelona coach Xavi has been banned from the touchline for upcoming La Liga games following his red card in last weekend’s win over Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano.
Xavi was sent off by referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez as a result of being shown two yellow cards. The first was for protesting that a foul was not awarded for a challenge on Ilay Gundogan, followed quickly by the second when he ran his mouth about a penalty not being awarded.
The decision from Spain’s football federation (RFEF) and its competitions committee is that Xavi will not be allowed on the bench for Barca’s next two fixtures – against Las Palmas at home and Cadiz away on 30 March and 13 April respectively.
In between those games, Xavi will be present in the technical area when Barce face Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final as the suspension only applies to domestic fixtures.
The home leg against PSG falls on 16 April, with Xavi then able to return to an active matchday role in time for the season’s second La Liga Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
With Madrid and Barca now first and second respectively in La Liga, separated by eight points, that encounter has the potential to either reignite the title race or effectively finish it for good.
By the time Xavi has served his suspension, there will be just seven La Liga fixtures left, which stand to be his last in charge as Barcelona head coach following his decision to leave this summer.
Sporting director Deco has revealed that nothing concrete has been decided about who will be leading the team next season, but said it is “pointless” to mention Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.
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